The Grand Wailea is Maui's famous mega-luxury resort — 40 lush oceanfront acres on golden Wailea Beach, built around the Wailea Canyon Activity Pool: nine pools on six levels linked by slides, rapids, rope swings, and the world's only water elevator. Beyond the aquatic spectacle: the vast Kilolani Spa, art-filled grounds (Botero and Picasso among them), a chapel on its own lagoon, and Waldorf Astoria dining and service. It's the ultimate family-luxury combination on one of Maui's best swimming beaches — with adult escapes (Hibiscus Pool, spa) built in. Booked directly.
Opened in 1991 as perhaps the most lavish resort ever built in Hawaii, the Grand Wailea remains Maui's exclamation point: grand lobbies open to ocean air, gardens and waterways threading 40 acres, museum-grade art (Fernando Botero's bronzes preside over the lobby), and Wailea Beach — consistently ranked among America's best — along its full frontage.
The Wailea Canyon Activity Pool is the icon: 25,000 square feet of connected pools descending the hillside through slides (including a seven-story drop), a lazy river with rapids, caves, a swim-up Tarzan rope, a baby beach, and the famous water elevator lifting swimmers back to the top. Families can spend entire days without touching the ocean — though the beach's gentle entry invites everyone in. Adults retreat to the serene Hibiscus Pool, the renovated 50,000-square-foot Kilolani Spa (among the largest in Hawaii), and dining from Humuhumunukunukuapuaa (in its own lagoon) to chef-driven Ikena.
Wailea's sunny south-shore location puts golf, the Shops at Wailea, and the coastal beach path at the door, with Molokini snorkel boats minutes away. It's the definitive choice for families wanting luxury without compromise — and couples who know the adult corners. Booked directly through Waldorf Astoria/Hilton.
Why stay here
- ✓Wailea Beach oceanfront (40 acres)
- ✓Nine-pool Wailea Canyon with slides
- ✓World’s only water elevator
- ✓Adults-only Hibiscus Pool
- ✓Kilolani Spa (50,000 sq ft)
- ✓Museum-grade art collection
- ✓Kids’ camp and family programs
- ✓Valet parking
Good questions
Is it good for kids?+
It may be the best family resort in Hawaii — the nine-pool canyon with slides, rapids, rope swing, and water elevator is a children's paradise, plus kids' camp, baby beach, and gentle Wailea Beach.
What about couples without kids?+
Plenty remains: the adults-only Hibiscus Pool, the enormous Kilolani Spa, fine dining, and Wailea sunsets. That said, the pool scene is lively — travelers wanting hush might prefer Hotel Wailea.
How's the beach?+
Wailea Beach fronts the resort — golden sand, gentle entry, superb swimming and seasonal snorkeling, regularly listed among America's best beaches.
